Monthly Archive for January, 2008

Mobile phone service to the DPRK take two

Published
by
Jack
on January 31, 2008
in News and North Korea
. 0 Comments

orascom-telecom.jpgFinancial Times and other news sources say Orascom Telcom from Egypt plans to roll out a mobile service “to the Korean People” (PDF PR spin here). Something is amiss here, but what it is, I do not know but will guess it is not for the people, but a select few. We all know what happened in 2002 when the DPRK confiscated handsets because that may threaten the survival of the regime. Somehow, this strikes me as different. Again, what it is exactly, I cannot put my finger on it.

So now it is take two for the handsets:

[...]

Naguib Sawiris, chief executive of Orascom, said the move was “in line with our strategy to penetrate countries with high population and low penetration by providing the first mobile telephone services. OTH has consistently proved its ability to successfully roll out mobile services into countries where no other operator has.”

North Korea has a population of about 23m, but there is currently no mobile service in the country. Orascom plans to offer cover to Pyongyang and most of the major cities during the first year of operations.

In spite of Orascom’s upbeat statement on the business prospects in North Korea, analysts doubted if the company’s venture into the communist state could be profitable. The communist state has strictly restricted ordinary people’s access to information for fear of political change.

Emphasis mine. I know it is a business and the idea from an investment is the hope of getting some return. The problem is, this is the DPRK we are dealing with, and profits are only in line for the State (Kim Jong Il), the very select few get access (major cities because only the privileged get to live in places like Pyongyang and Wonsan) and chances are, if there is any inkling of dissent or problem, Kim will pull the plug again. It is my opinion this is a waste of time and money.

A mobile network is still believed to exist in Pyong-yang to provide mobile services to government officials but foreigners are not allowed to use mobile phones in the country.

…and I do not think outsiders will be allowed mobile phones, media or other similar things in the near future. The only true way to invest is to start clean once Kim is gone and some oversight is in place.

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Looking for a decent host (resolved)

Published
by
Jack
on January 31, 2008
in Other Topics and Questions To Readers
. 1 Comment

I do not know about you, but I have noticed this site is very, very slow. It is driving me insane and would like to know of a decent host. Wordpress does not ask for a lot of resources, and it has ground to a halt like North Korea’s economy. That is one of the reasons for the delays in postings. I am tired of fighting it.

Any ideas?

Update: I got an offer for better space. Thank you very much, Jake!

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Forums have been removed

Published
by
Jack
on January 31, 2008
in DPRK Forum Blurbs
. 0 Comments

I have removed the forums because there was no activity whatsoever other than a repository for spam comments. Sorry for that, but I am sure nobody cares anyway.

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Propaganda Time!

Published
by
Jack
on January 31, 2008
in Cult Of Personality, North Korea, Video and wtf
. 2 Comments

(Hat Tip: hapo) Before I begin the post, I would like to apologize for the lack of updates. I have been pretty busy with life, and working on other sites. For those that still look at this blog, I would like to thank you for continuing to visit DPRK Forum. I will try my best to update more.

Today’s propaganda time video is when Kim Il Sung visited the Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe. As you know, Nicolae Ceaucescu tried to use the Juche idea (and did not work very well) or parts of it. At any rate, enjoy the video:

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Plan B on One Free Korea

Published
by
Jack
on January 22, 2008
in DPRK Forum Blurbs
. 0 Comments

Here is a very good read on One Free Korea regarding on what to do with the DPRK now the talks have hit a brick wall. I was going to write something similar, but this is a lot better.

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Question to readers: Good Korean War based games?

Published
by
Jack
on January 21, 2008
in Other Topics and Questions To Readers
. 3 Comments

I just bought an interesting Korean War simulation game called Korea 1985. This is not an easy game and I am still learning the basics. There are some other games when looking around such as Raging Tiger: The Second Korean War and Squad Battles 5: The Korean War.

I looked elsewhere for some other good games, but there are none that I can find. If other readers know of some other good games, let me know in the comments section. Thanks!

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North Korean oddities: Hamhung little information

Published
by
Jack
on January 19, 2008
in History, Korean War, North Korea, Pictures, Questions To Readers and open thread
. 4 Comments

Hamhung Theater?I ran into a picture of the largest theater in North Korea in Hamhung. I went on Google Earth to find it, but it seems like most of the terrain is fuzzy. I am speculating that is away from the beaten path from outsiders and I have not seen any travelogues with a lot of information. Here is a little information I could find:

* In somewhat recent news, 40 residents in Hamhung (Along with some party members in Pyongyang):

[...]

Separately, five traders were also executed by a firing squad before some 40 residents in Hamhung city on the North’s east coast on Dec. 8, Good Friends said. The five were accused of drug trafficking, according to the group.

[...]

* A defector recounts serious famine in Hamhung.

* The Washington Post has an interesting article about Hamhung and other areas not seen by outsiders. So this suggests Hamhung is among those cities:

[...]

You can start at Hamhung’s local hospital, a dilapidated, cavernous 1,000-bed facility without lights, where the stench of urine fills the dark corridors, and patients recovering from surgery writhe in pain on dirty sheets in unheated rooms. There are no antibiotics, no intravenous drips and no stretchers, so workers carry patients on their backs. There were only 250 patients during a recent visit; few sick people bother coming, since the hospital has no food and no medicine.

[...]

From the hospital, travel across this city past gray cement buildings that look half-finished or simply abandoned, past lots strewed with broken-down Soviet-era trucks that cannot be started because there are no spare parts. Then drive down narrow, winding mud roads until you reach the Hamhung orphanage and talk to its director, Choi Kwang Oak.

The orphanage is divided into several small rooms, with playpens for the smallest infants. Almost all the children are malnourished, with browning hair, bald patches on their scalps and sores on their heads and faces. The most severely malnourished are listless and unresponsive.

There are 198 children under age 4 at the orphanage, and about 20 percent are expected to die because they arrived too late to be helped. About 70 percent of the children here were orphaned when their parents died of malnutrition or disease, Choi said. The other 30 percent simply were abandoned and left for dead by parents too poor and too hungry to feed them.

“Some parents just put them outside on the street and leave them to nature,” Choi said. “Sometimes people pick them up and bring them here.” And other times? “They just die.”

The orphanage is surrounded by high hills covered with graves and stone markers. It is an old burial ground, she said. But there are also many new graves.

The scenes of deprivation and hardship go on and on. There is a massive 1950s-era hotel in the town, but it is cold and apparently empty. Since power is rationed, the electricity has been turned off.

There are factories here, but they stand idle. No smoke comes from the chimneys; there is no activity inside the gates. Outside, people mill around, apparently with little to do. Nearly everyone here — hospital workers, hotel employees, even the official government guides — talked openly about the fuel shortage and lack of electricity.

[...]

And the list of hardships go on and on. No wonder visitors are not allowed to visit too often.

Continue reading ‘North Korean oddities: Hamhung little information’

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Some drama brewing at the State Department

Published
by
Jack
on January 18, 2008
in Diplomacy, News, North Korea, Nukes, Politics, United States and Video
. 1 Comment

The spin, drama, and finger pointing is continuing, and the issues of human rights, missed deadlines, and more temper tantrums from the Kim Jong Il regime is nothing new. When something else happens and some progress is actually made, perhaps we can all jump up and down for joy. In the meantime, it is more wait and see. The Associated Press has more:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration on Friday distanced itself from one of its own officials who criticized U.S. efforts to deal with North Korea’s nuclear programs.

The State Department and White House sought to portray a unified front in supporting six-nation nuclear talks that have reached an impasse, with the North missing promised deadlines and increasing its hostile rhetoric.

The U.S. administration was responding to blunt criticism of the disarmament talks Thursday by Jay Lefkowitz, President Bush’s special envoy on North Korean human rights. Lefkowitz said the North is not serious about disarming and will likely “remain in its present nuclear status” after Bush leaves office in January 2009, despite four years of nuclear disarmament efforts by the U.S., the Koreas, Japan, China and Russia.

“Let me make it very clear: He is the envoy for issues related to human rights in North Korea,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Friday. “He is not, however, somebody who speaks authoritatively about the six-party talks. His comments certainly don’t represent the views of the administration.”

Emphasis mine. The full length transcript is here.

More at DPRK Studies also see One Free Korea

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Please forgive the sawdust

Published
by
Jack
on January 18, 2008
in Other Topics
. 0 Comments

I am in the process of modifying an excellent theme by Design Disease. I was going to use the excellent K2 theme, but this one looked a little better. So if you see things changing and whatnot, do not worry. I am just testing and tweaking things.

Some other things. I was testing some CMS’s to extend the functionality, but it seems this may not be the best idea in the world. The biggest issue is transferring the posts and comments without messing things up. I have been unsuccessful in all my attempts, so I guess I will stick with Wordpress. I tried Drupal, Mambo, and even some other off the wall stuff.

This is the primary reason for slow postings. If other readers have news or something to post, by all means do so. Registration is fast, free and you even receive a free hunting knife! Alright, maybe not, but I needed a gimmick.

Update: The theme is done, and looks a lot better and is easier to read. Enjoy!

Update: It seems the new theme is slowing things down for some odd reason. Ah well, I guess I will stick with this one.

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I am in the process of learning Drupal

Published
by
Jack
on January 16, 2008
in DPRK Forum Blurbs
. 0 Comments

If you do not see a huge influx of postings, I have been busy learning Drupal and perhaps moving this blog to that software. I am not very sure at this point in time, but if it has the features I am looking for, it would be kind of nice to have a way to make longer winded posts. Time will tell if this will work, and migration may be a serious problem. If it is, I am not going to bother.

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An older posting is generating a lot of views, but remember the real reason of the posting

Published
by
Jack
on January 16, 2008
in Other Topics
. 0 Comments

Movie Time: Pulgasari is shattering old records on page views. For most, it may be silly, but when pages get on average of say 30 views a day and all of a sudden gets 400+ views, it makes me pretty darn happy.

This was posted quite a while ago and was not expecting a lot of views on it. I was more interested in the background story of this movie because it goes at a very public kidnapping when others are not as widely covered. The level of atrocities conducted by the Kim regime are staggering, and little attention is given to it. So some thoughts for those that watch the movie: Remember the victims in your hearts, tell others about the crimes committed by the Kim Jong Il regime, and people deserve to have freedom.

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Bruce Klingner’s excellent article on the current state of the six-party talks

Published
by
Jack
on January 14, 2008
in DPRK Forum Blurbs
. 0 Comments

This is a very good read by Bruce Klingner. Again, there is not much for me to comment on, because this explains everything just fine. In a nutshell, it outlines the problems and the possible solutions.

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Yoo Sang-joon freed from Chinese jail

Published
by
Jack
on January 14, 2008
in Defectors, Humanitarian Topic, News, North Korea, ROK and Video
. 0 Comments

Yoo Sang-joonA bittersweet story of one of the most powerful underground railroad activists I have seen Yoo Sang-joon. ROK Drop has the documentary posted.

[...]

“Yoo Sang-joon is now safely in South Korea after spending the last four months in a prison located in northern China, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW),” said Vu. “He is said to have endured extreme cold during his imprisonment and was believed he would die while being confined in China.

[...]

“I am grateful from the depths of my heart to CSW and CSW supporters for all the deep concern, prayer and advocacy on my behalf while I was in prison,” said Yoo, according to CSW.

Vu went on to say, “Yoo, a North Korean survivor, was arrested near the Chinese-Mongolian border while trying to rescue other North Koreans from danger in China. He had lost his wife and youngest son in the North Korean famine. He realized the same fate awaited him and his remaining son if they remained in the country, and decided to flee to China.

“But unable to travel together, his 10-year-old son, Chul Min, attempted to cross the Mongolian border by himself. Unfamiliar with the inhospitable terrain, he wandered 26 hours and – suffering from dehydration and weakened from the famine – died before crossing the border.

“Yoo himself was able to reach South Korea and is a citizen, but he continues to be haunted by the loss of his family. As a result, he has dedicated his life to helping North Korean refugees in China, especially children, at the risk of his own safety.”

[...]

“North Korea is one of the most repressive regimes in the world and is ranked by the watchdog Open Doors as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians. Citizens of the communist state are forced to adhere to a personality cult that revolves around worshipping current dictator Kim Jong Il and his deceased father, Kim Il Sung,” said Vu in her story.

“In the face of these grave consequences, Yoo’s punishment is considered light.”

“The fact that Yoo Sang-joon was released after only four months, in contrast to other activists who have served up to and surpassing four years, is surely a testament to your prayers, network and fervent advocacy,” said a CSW contact on the ground in Asia (location cannot be identified for security reason). “We thank you all so very much !”

No words can express the work of somebody like this who endured such unspeakable tragedies in his own life and risked his life to help others in search of freedom from the iron grip of Kim Jong Il. For me personally, it is so much easier to sit in my comfortable house in the United States and want freedom for North Koreans, when in reality would be much harder to act on it, unlike like this man and other people who risk everything to help others. So I tip my hat, and I wish him all the luck, happiness and health. Not only to him, but to others who help in this regard.

I do not know if he will continue to do anymore underground railroad work, but even if he does not, he is a testament to ultimate bravery. Also, I would like to take the time to thank others in the cause for helping defectors, getting the word out about the real state of North Korea, and at least making the effort to let the world know even if a blind eye is cast aside.

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Some footage of Pyongyang after the Korean War

Published
by
Jack
on January 13, 2008
in History, North Korea and Video
. 3 Comments

Here is an interesting video with what I consider some pretty rare footage (If there is more, please let me know). When the footage was taken is not known to me, but it looks like after the Korean War and what seems to be when they started rebuilding. Anyway, it is still worth the watch:

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Declare your nukes now… OK, OK, we can wait.

Published
by
Jack
on January 13, 2008
in Diplomacy, Economy, News, North Korea, Nukes, ROK and United States
. 0 Comments

I have been really engaged on the Beyond Belief series, but I think this blog needs something Korea related today. It has been a pretty slow news cycle, and while the DPRK balks, all the rest can do is wait to see what happens. However, it does not mean the negotiations are not going on, and right now, it seems despite the hard-line placed on the agreed framework, it was absolutely no surprise North Korea would not deliver, and it was also not a surprise despite the hard talking from the other sides of the table, they are now willing to wait. How long are they willing to wait? The Korea Times seems to have more:

The plan calls for North Korea to disable its key nuclear facilities no later than March and disclose details of its nuclear programs, according to the sources.

Seoul wants to draw up a timetable for the full dismantlement of the North’s nuclear programs and initiate negotiations on building a peace mechanism on the peninsula in the first half of the year, they said.

“We expect the disablement of North Korea’s nuclear plants including the removal of nuclear fuel rods to be completed by March,” a ministry official told reporters, asking not to be named. ``Pyongyang should provide a full list of its nuclear programs by that time.”

(Emphasis mine) Timetables are great and wonderful, but from what I see, where are the consequences if the DPRK does not hold its end of the deal? A sulk? That’s what it looks like to me. The U.S. wants one sooner, but I am sure all sides agree sooner is better. Whatever the case may be, it is in North Korea’s court, and Kim Jong Il is holding the ball.

U.S. chief nuclear envoy Christopher Hill urged the North to declare the list before the inauguration of the Lee Myung-bak government Feb. 25.

“There is no reason why we cannot finish the job in 2008,” he told reporters in Seoul after a meeting with President-elect Lee.

Nope, there was also no reason why the North could not give the list at the end of December, but it was not delivered, right? It is understandable removing of fuel rods is dangerous and takes time, but it does not mean a piece of paper cannot be delivered in the meantime. Of course, the North claims the declaration was given in November, but somehow got lost en route. I wish I could do that with my bills without consequence. Furthermore, the North is slowing down the process until it gets more goodies on top of it.

This part of the article does not make much sense:

Seoul has been trying to initiate talks over establishing a peace regime on the peninsula, replacing the current armistice signed by the United States, China and North Korea at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The war ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. South Korea wants to issue a joint declaration with parties to the truce for putting an end to the war, which it sees as a preliminary step to a permanent peace treaty.

However, the U.S. government is skeptical about a war-ending declaration before Pyongyang’s full denuclearization.

Seoul calls for a peace treaty in 2010. So does this imply the U.S. is willing to wait until 2010? I’ll ponder over this one for a while.

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